


We Just Need a Helping Hand

by Wheres_my_badger



Category: iKON (Kpop)
Genre: Fluff, Jinhwan is having a lot of fun, M/M, Not really sure, Sexual Tension, This is really cute, a lot of fluff, as usual, awkward junhoe, bobby and junhoe had a lot of tension between them, but they're slow, cute junhoe, enjoy, friends to lovers?, idk how to tag, if you've seen my other storied you know that, junbob, oblivious Bobby, obvious Junhoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-10-08 10:34:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10384734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wheres_my_badger/pseuds/Wheres_my_badger
Summary: Junhoe and Bobby are awkward, and Jinhwan's decided to get to the bottom of this story. He's also pretty amused about what he finds out along the way





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short prologue :)

Jinhwan had always wanted to know what had happened between Junhoe and Bobby that resulted in them being awkward around each other. Now, it’s not that they weren’t close. Its just that... they weren’t as close as everyone else, and Junhoe tended to avoid being near Bobby, specially alone. And Jinhwan had never understood it.  
When Junhoe first joined them, he’d been an awkward fourteen year old who had latched on to Jinhwan and avoided everyone else. Understandable, considering the age gap between him and the others, and the fact that Jinhwan was the oldest and more understanding out of them. But even so it didn't take long for him to warm up to Hanbin and Yunhyeong, to get close to them. Bobby, though, was a completely different story. And it made Jinhwan curious.  
He couldn't tell if the younger had been uncomfortable from the beginning, because back then he'd been weird around everyone. It only began to show after a few weeks, when Junhoe had become visibly comfortable with everyone but Bobby.  
Jinhwan had talked about it with Bobby a few times. Bobby had been worried about the teamwork, and Jinhwan had asked if he'd done anything to push the boy away. He hadn’t, at least not that he knew of. For a while Bobby had tried to look into it, reporting to Jinhwan every night, although he never had anything new to tell. But after a while Win started and Junhoe’s avoidance of Bobby stopped being a priority. Despite the awkwardness they worked well enough together, so it didn't really matter at the moment if they weren't that close.  
After Win, Jinhwan started noticing it again. How Junhoe avoided staying alone with Bobby, how he never showered with the older. How he did all he could to avoid pairing with Bobby when they stretched and how uncomfortable he looked when he ended up with the rapper anyways. But then Mix & Match begun and once again attention was taken away from the matter.  
But now he had time. They had time. They’d debuted, and now they could breath for a bit before the craziness started again. And Jinhwan planned on getting to the bottom of the problem between Junhoe and Bobby, before he went crazy with curiosity.  
To be honest, Jinhwan was surprised at what he found out after just two days of observing his band mates interact. And what he found out was that Junhoe didn't hate Bobby. Not that he thought that the younger really hated the rapper, but he'd always assumed that Bobby annoyed Junhoe. Junhoe was a quiet kid, after all, who liked his space; and Bobby was expansive and didn't understand the meaning of personal space. So it made sense that Junhoe avoided to rapper because Bobby annoyed him.  
But... he soon noticed that it wasn't quite like that. Junhoe did avoid Bobby, as much as he could. But sometimes, despite his efforts, Junhoe ended up near Bobby, even when the whole group was together. And on these times Jinhwan caught Junhoe smiling fondly at the older, definitely not annoyed.  
Honestly, it just made Jinhwan more confused. Junhoe seemed happy around Bobby. He smiled and laughed, although, Jinhwan noticed, he seemed slightly uncomfortable. It didn't really make sense, so Jinhwan decided to wait and pay more attention, in hopes of catching something he'd missed. And that’s how he found out something that really surprised him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How does that sound?


	2. What Jinhwan Knows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinhwan finds something out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit short, but I hope you enjoy it!

"C’mon, hyung, please."  
Whined Junhoe. Jinhwan rolled his eyes. He’d spent a whole week simply observing Junhoe’s and Bobby’s interactions. Except they didn’t interact that much, so there wasn’t much for Jinhwan to observe. So Jinhwan decided that it wouldn’t hurt anyone if he meddled a bit. And that’s how Junhoe and Bobby ended up forced to stretch together, something that had happened so sporadically, Jinhwan didn't even remember when the last time was.  
"Yah, stop whining and go stretch. I won't switch partners with you."  
Said Jinhwan, already heading towards Donghyuk. Junhoe sighed, defeated, and made his way to where Bobby was waiting. And with this simple act, Jinhwan noticed two things. One, Bobby was smiling teasingly at Junhoe, but behind that smile he was hurt. Which meant that although he’d stopped talking to Jinhwan about it, the fact that Junhoe seemed to dislike him still affected the rapper. Two, Junhoe was... blushing? This was weird, Jinhwan didn't know what to make out of this. This whole thing was getting weirder by the time.

After practice, that day, they decided to watch a movie. Not something they usually did, because they didn't usually have the time. But Jinhwan had dragged them to the living room and forced them to give him their phones, so that they could 'bond'. So now they were all sitting on their living room, tangled up in a mess of limbs, and Jinhwan had made sure that Junhoe would sit next to Bobby.   
As the movie went on, Jinhwan watched Junhoe grow uncomfortable. He frowned. Bobby was lying on the younger's lap, seeming completely at ease, but Junhoe had been tense since the beginning, and was now beginning to squirm. It puzzled Jinhwan. Bobby seemed comfortable around the younger, so... why did Junhoe look like he wanted to die?  
Then Bobby moved, cuddling closer to Junhoe and the younger froze, getting even tenser before his cheeks and neck started coloring. And then suddenly things made sense to Jinhwan. Everything made sense. Junhoe's hesitancy at getting closer to the other boys, how he refused, at first, showering with them or even being in the same room as the others while they changed. And how he avoided Bobby, specially. How he still didn't shower with Bobby, how he didn't want to be alone around Bobby, how he avoided stretching with the rapper. It was because Junhoe wasn't straight. Junhoe wasn't straight and he had a crush on Bobby.  
Jinhwan didn't even notice he was staring open mouthed at their former maknae, until the boy's eyes met his and widened. This brought Jinhwan back to reality and, noticing the younger's red cheeks, the singer smiled. He saw Junhoe swallow and his smirk grew.  
"I-I... I gotta go to the bathroom. You don't need to pause."  
Said the younger boy, getting up and leaving without waiting for an answer. Jinhwan giggled, watching the younger carefully get out from under Bobby and hurry out of the room.  
"Is he okay?"  
Asked Bobby, seeming worried. Jinhwan wanted to laugh so badly, but held himself back from doing so, shrugging instead. Bobby took it as a sign that it was okay and everyone turned back to the movie. But Jinhwan's mind wasn't on that anymore. Things were about to get fun.

Junhoe didn't go back to the living room that night, and as the movie ended, Bobby looked around, frowning. It made Jinhwan wonder if Junhoe's crush was one sided or not.  
"Where’s June?"  
Asked the rapper. No one in the room seemed to find the question weird or unusual, only looking around as if the younger could be hiding behind the couch. But to Jinhwan everything felt different. He knew he was probably just projecting, but in his mind a billion scenarios were playing out. He didn't say anything, though. He wanted to see how things would play out.  
"Uhn, he was here just now..."  
Said Yunhyeong.  
"Dude, he left like, half an hour ago."  
Said Bobby. Jinhwan bit his lip, controlling his smile. 'C’mon, Jinhwan, he just knows because he was laying on Junhoe.' The singer told himself.  
"Maybe he was tired. Why don't you check on him, hyung?"  
Jinhwan looked at Chanwoo, who had just spoken. The younger looked perfectly innocent, but Jinhwan wondered if he knew something. Bobby snorted.  
"Yeah, sure. He's probably asleep." Said the rapper, getting up. "I'm going to bed."  
He announced, before leaving the living room, not even getting his cellphone back.  
The others slowly started to stretch and get up, and it amazed Jinhwan how knowing a simple little fact made everything seem different. Right now he watched his mates, who acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, wondering how could they not be analyzing Bobby’s and Junhoe's actions.  
"Your phones are on the table. I’m going to bed too, night, guys."  
Said the older, deciding he should go talk to Bobby. The others mumbled their good nights and Jinhwan left, taking Bobby’s phone with him.  
Instead of his own room, Jinhwan went to Bobby's. Bobby was laying in bed, looking at the ceiling. Jinhwan let himself fall next to the rapper, startling the younger boy.  
"Hyung! Don't do that!"  
Jinhwan chuckled and handed Bobby his phone. The younger took it, smiling thankfully.  
"So, what’s up?"  
Said Jinhwan after a moment of silence. Bobby raised an eyebrow.  
"Uhn, nothing?"  
He seemed genuinely confused by Jinhwan's question, so the older decided to change his approach.  
"Do you remember how we used to talk before win, before mix and match?"  
Bobby still seemed confused.  
"Uhn, sure, but... about what exactly?"  
Jinhwan shrugged.  
"We never did find out why Junhoe avoids you so much."  
Then Bobby seems to get it.  
"Oh. Oh, that. Yeah, we talked about that for a while, didn't we?" Bobby chuckled, but Jinhwan could hear a sad tone to his laugh. "I don't know, really. It doesn't make sense, I've given up already."  
Jinhwan bit his tongue, to avoid saying too much. So Bobby had no idea, and, from his tone and expression, he wished he and Junhoe were closer. Interesting.  
"I think..." Jinhwan started, carefully. "You should try to be closer to him."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long :(  
> I hope you like it, please tell me what you think about it and make suggestions if you want to ^.^  
> (I'm not sure if this is good, but we'll see...)

"I think..." Jinhwan started, carefully. "You should try to be closer to him."  
Bobby looked at Jinhwan as if he was crazy.  
"Uhn, I have tried?"  
Said the rapper. Jinhwan rolled his eyes.  
"You're doing it wrong. Or were, whatever. Junhoe is not like the rest of us. You have to go slow. Firstly, avoid touching him or invading his personal space, unless he clearly lets you. You also shouldn't joke too much about relationships with him. You know, like you do with Hanbin."  
Bobby seemed confused. Jinhwan smiled.  
“O… k? Why would this make a difference?”  
Jinhwan wanted to tell Bobby, he really did, but he didn’t want to ruin anything, so he just shrugged.  
“Trust me, Jiwon.”  
Bobby raised an eyebrow.  
"Hyung, where is this even coming from?"  
Jinhwan took a second to understand that Bobby wasn’t talking about his tactics, but about the fact that suddenly Jinhwan seemed extremely eager to get those two to get along. The older smiles softly.  
"I don't know. I've always wanted to understand what went on between you and Junhoe to make you two so awkward. But now I think nothing really happened. Its just... always been there."  
Jinhwan knew he was being vague. And slightly weird. Indeed, Bobby looked thoroughly confused, and Jinhwan wondered if he’d gone too far too fast. But then Bobby sighed and nodded.  
"Ok. I'll try. But you need to help me. I can't be closer to him emotionally if he's never close to me physically. As in, we're almost never in the same room alone, so it might be a bit harder to get closer to him."  
Jinhwan was pretty sure his smile was way too big, but he didn’t care.  
"Don't worry, I'll help you."  
Bobby laughed at Jinhwan's enthusiasm.  
"Ok, ok. Now leave, you weirdo. I want to sleep."  
And Jinhwan laughed and kissed Bobby’s cheek as a good night, then left, thinking of the smile on Bobby’s face as Jinhwan said he’d help. Maybe Junhoe's crush really wasn’t that one sided.

On the next day Jinhwan smiled knowingly as Bobby entered the kitchen, during breakfast, and quietly sat down next to Junhoe, mumbling a good morning. The oldest wanted to laugh at Junhoe's surprised face, then again when Bobby accidentally touched the younger's arm, making Junhoe blush. But he only watched, swallowing his laughter.  
They ate in silence, and Jinhwan didn’t miss the little glances Junhoe kept throwing at Bobby, and he wondered how could he have not noticed before. Because Junhoe was obvious, he was painfully obvious. And yet, Jinhwan seemed to be the only one who noticed. Besides, he might have just noticed, but he suspected this had been going on since Junhoe started training with them. Freaking years ago.  
Jinhwan shook himself from his thoughts when Hanbin entered the room, asking them to hurry so they could go to the practice room. He turned his focus back to his food, wondering what else could he do to get those two to notice what was going on.

That day Jinhwan made sure he got paired up with Bobby. The younger confusedly gestured towards Junhoe and Jinhwan smiled. Bobby was more eager to get closer to Junhoe than Jinhwan had thought.  
"Lets not push him. The only one he's fully comfortable to do this with is me. So it'll just make him more uncomfortable around you if we push him to do this."  
Bobby seemed to understand, nodding, although Jinhwan noticed a little flicker of disappointment on his eyes.   
They stretched and practiced for way too long, as always, and got home late and tired. But, surprisingly, not too late. At least not nearly as late as they usually did. As they all groaned and threw themselves on the nearest surface available, which sometimes happened to be another member, Jinhwan noticed how Junhoe made his way to the couch where Bobby was lying, sitting down next to the rapper, but far enough that there was no risk of them touching, even accidently. Jinhwan smirked. Junhoe was cute.  
“I’m dead.” Mumbled Yunhyeong, once everyone had settled down. “But I don’t feel like sleeping.”  
The room filled with mumbled agreements. It happened, sometimes. When practice was too intense, but not as long as they were used to, they’d get home wanting to die, but not wanting to sleep. The engines on Jinhwan’s head started turning. He smiled to himself.  
“Hey, it’s been a while since we’ve eaten homemade food.”  
He said, casually, knowing exactly what would happen. In a second Yunhyeong’s eyes lit up, and he smiled at Jinhwan.  
“Hyung, you’re a genious! C’mon, who wants to help me?”  
Jinhwan chuckled as Donghyuk immediately raised his hand, followed by Chanwoo, who received a short glare. Short, because Donghyuk was too cute to glare at anyone for too long.  
“You three go. Hanbin and I will wash the dishes. Jiwon and Junhoe can clean the living room a bit, so that we can watch a movie while we eat. What do you say?”  
Jinhwan had barely closed his mouth before Yunhyeong squealed an ‘ok’ and pulled Donghyuk and their maknae to the kitchen. Hanbin laughed slightly.  
“That was a nice idea, hyung.”  
Mumbled Hanbin. Jinhwan had chosen him as dish-washing partner, because he knew no one would complain. They all knew how tired Hanbin was all the time, because of how much he worked, so they all had a silent pact to let the leader do the easier tasks at the dorm. And washing the dishes with Jinhwan was an easier task, because Jinhwan would probably wash it all and let Hanbin doze of on the counter.  
“I’m a genious, I know. Now c’mon. and you two, clean it well, then you can wait for us.”  
Jinhwan left, not giving the other two time to complain. He did see the slight look of despair on Junhoe’s face as he entered the kitchen, but he ignored it.  
Once they were alone, Bobby turned to Junhoe. The younger had stood up, and was awkwardly standing next to the sofa. The rapper sighed and got up too.  
“Where do you want to start?”  
He asked. Junhoe shrugged.  
“I’ll clean the couch. You can get the table, hyung.”  
He mumbled, going into the kitchen and coming back with two plastic bags, one being handed to Bobby, and a dust cloth.

Junhoe and Bobby worked on awkward silence for about three minutes. Which was, possibly, as much time as Bobby could go without talking, unless he was mad. Or asleep.  
“So… we’ll be going to Japan soon, no?”  
Junhoe looked up, startled.  
“Uhn, yeah, I guess.”  
He said. Bobby smiled, showing his teeth, and Junhoe groaned internally at how cute the older looked.  
“Think it’s going to be fun?”  
Junhoe shrugged, busying himself with fixing the couch’s pillows.  
“I don’t know, hyung. We’ll be working…”  
“Oh, c’mon, we’ll be in Japan!”  
Junhoe rolled his eyes, but laughed slightly at the older’s eagerness.  
“Well, yeah. It’ll be nice, I guess.”  
There was silence for a bit longer.  
“Oh my god, I can’t speak Japanese.”  
Junhoe looked at Bobby, incredulously, but couldn’t hold in his laughter as he saw the rapper’s worried face.  
“Aish, hyung, none of us speak Japanese. We’ll have a translator, and we’ll start having classes before we go. Honestly, I don’t know how Hanbin puts up with you, you’d forget your head, if it wasn’t glued to your neck.”  
At this Bobby frowned, feigning annoyance.  
“Yah, what are you saying?” For second Junhoe thought he’d actually offended Bobby, and opened his mouth to apologize, before the older continued to speak. “I’m the best person in this band, you all should be thankful that I let you get anywhere near me!”  
Junhoe snorted.  
“Yeah, as if I would want to go near you, hyung.”  
At that, Bobby looked absolutely outraged.  
“Excuse me, you should be begging to come near me.”  
Junhoe smirked, dusting cloth completely forgotten.  
“Nope, thanks. I’d like to keep my dignity.”  
Bobby gasped, and Junhoe wanted to laugh so badly. He always had fun when he was around Bobby, but… it was rare for him to allow himself to actually show that he was having fun, or to answer to Bobby’s jokes and provocations.  
“Oh, you’ll see your dignity.”  
Junhoe let out a little yell, as Bobby threw himself on him, running backwards to avoid the rapper. He managed to run out of the rapper’s reach, but Bobby was smiling at him evily.  
“Yah, hyung, stop it!”  
Pleaded Junhoe. Something on his voice must have given away how much he was enjoying it, though, because Bobby only smiled widely.  
“Not until I teach you to respect your hyung, brat!”  
The older laughed and ran around the couch, forcing Junhoe to run away. Junhoe laughed as he ran from the older, forgetting about his usual worries. He turned back, expecting Bobby to be far behind. However, what he found was the rapper almost reaching him. He yelped, startled, and tripped on his own feet. He saw the ground approaching, and prepared himself for the impact. Which… never came. Instead, he felt something pulling him up.  
Junhoe opened his eyes, only to find himself face to face with a panting Bobby, who was holding Junhoe by the coat, close to his face. Too close. Junhoe wanted to push the older away, but his brain seemed to have short-circuited, so he simply stared at Bobby. The older was panting, looking Junhoe in the eye and holding the younger’s coat tightly. Junhoe could feel his heart trying to beat out of his chest, and he hoped Bobby didn’t notice, or that he linked it to the fact that they’d been running around seconds earlier.  
“Told you I was the best member. I even have freaking super powers.”  
Said the rapper smirking. Junhoe’s mouth fell open. Bobby laughed, and the younger, feeling his cheeks reddening, pushed him away.  
“You’re ridiculous, hyung.” Was all he managed to mumble. Bobby laughed louder, making the younger smile slightly, despite his embarrassment. “C’mon, lets go back to cleaning, before you fuck anything else up.”  
He expect Bobby to make some witty remark, but the older simply chuckled and ruffled his hair, moving back to finish cleaning the table. Once the older was distracted, Junhoe let a slightly sad smile appear on his face. He wished he could get used to this.

Unbeknownst to the two boys, Jinhwan had watched the whole scene. And he planned on using it on his favour.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, after a loooong time I'm back! If you guys have any requests or suggestions of situations for this pic, leave it in the comments!  
> Sorry for making you wait, guys, hope you guys like this chapter!  
> (I take requests for fanfictions at the email textsandfanfics@gmail.com or in the comments section, the groups I write for are in my profile ^.^)  
> xxx

Once dinner was ready, they all headed to the living room to watch a movie while they ate. Jinhwan had a whole plan on his head to get Junhoe to sit next to Bobby. However, as soon as they entered the living room, he noticed that his plan wouldn’t be necessary, as the two boys were sat side by side, entirely focused on an intense game of rock paper scissors. Jinhwan held his laughter. The two were so into their game that they didn’t even see the others come into the room. Jinhwan smiled fondly, observing the two boys. They’d actually make a pretty cute couple.  
The two only noticed that they were being watched when Yunhyeong cleaned his throat.  
“Ahem, can we eat now or do you two plan on breaking the record for longest rock paper scissors match ever played?”  
Junhoe and Bobby both jumped, stopping their game and turning to face the others. Jinhwan smirked at the different reactions from the boys. Bobby’s eyes lit up as he saw the food, and Junhoe blushed and looked down, embarrassed. Jinhwan shook his head with a fond smile and headed to the sofa, before Bobby jumped on them to get his food.  
Once they were all settled, Hanbin pressed play on the TV. They were watching How to Train Your Dragon, Donghyuk’s request, but Jinhwan was far more focused on the two sat by his side. At first Bobby was simply scarfing down his food (Jinhwan wondered how he managed not to choke), and Junhoe was trying to eat and whine about Bobby being disgusting at the same time. But as soon as they finished eating, things got more interesting.  
Bobby seemed to be taking Jinhwan’s advice, about not touching Junhoe unnecessarily, quite seriously. He was resting against the sofa, hands on his lap, clearly taking care not to touch the younger boy. Junhoe, on the other hand, looked disappointed. ‘Good’ Jinhwan thought. Maybe this would lead the boy to take initiative and initiate contact.  
And just as Jinhwan had hoped, a second later Junhoe’s hand was on Bobby’s knee. Jinhwan smirked. It was a normal movement, all of them were used to doing things like this. But Junhoe seemed to have calculated every second of the hand movement, making it look awkward, robotic and not at all natural. He was also so nervous one would think he was about to attempt jumping over a pool of sharks. Fortunately, it was too dark for anyone to see it, and Jinhwan was the only one paying attention to notice.  
The effects of Junhoe’s act were immediate. At first Bobby froze, then he looked at the younger from the corner of his eyes, then a smile spread on his face and he let his arms fall to his side, lightly touching Junhoe’s thigh. Junhoe bit his bottom lip, clearly trying to contain his smile. Jinhwan bit his own lip to keep himself from laughing. Those two looked like two pre-teens with a crush.

Once the movie was over, half of the band was asleep. Donghyuk was laying on Yunhyeong, who was caressing his hair softly. Hanbin had surrounded himself with pillows and was on his sixth sleep already, mouth hanging slightly open. Chanwoo was rested against the sofa, mouth wide open and eyes slightly open. Jinhwan didn’t know whether to label that as cute or terrifying. But the important thing on the scene was Junhoe, who was lying against Bobby’s chest.  
He wasn’t asleep. Jinhwan knew that, because he’d seen Junhoe’s eyes open just seconds earlier, and he knew the younger couldn’t have fallen asleep that fast. And he knew for a fact that Junhoe hadn’t been asleep when he laid against Bobby. The act of lying down had also been awkward, much like when Junhoe had put his hand on Bobby’s knee. Junhoe had slowly leaned towards Bobby, eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. Jinhwan had held himself from laughing. Bobby, however, had looked like a kid on Christmas day as Junhoe laid his head on the rapper’s chest.  
“Hyung.”  
Bobby whispered, trying not to wake anyone as he called the older. Jinhwan looked at him. Bobby had a wide smile on his face, and gestured towards the boy resting against his chest. Jinhwan smiled almost as much as Bobby. He knew his plan would work. Junhoe may not like people randomly touching him (specially Bobby), but he craved physical contact. He just preferred to have it on his own terms. Jinhwan had known that if Bobby stopped touching the younger all the time, Junhoe would soon miss it and go looking for it. And it hadn’t taken nearly as much time as Jinhwan had predicted. Junhoe was far more in deep than Jinhwan had expected.  
“How are we going to move them?”  
Asked Yunhyeong, calling the others’ attention. He was half turned to them, trying not to wake the boy on his lap.  
“We can carry them?”  
Suggested Jinhwan, seeming unsure. Yunhyeong looked at Chanwoo, their giant maknae, doubtfully. At the moment Junhoe groaned.  
“You guys are too loud.”  
He mumbled, pushing himself away from Bobby. Jinhwan rolled his eyes, knowing the boy had heard their conversation and decided to stop pretending to be asleep before someone decided to carry him to his room. Bobby’s disappointed pout made Jinhwan once again wonder if Junhoe’s crush was really one-sided.  
They end up carrying the others to bed. Junhoe carried Chanwoo, Bobby carried Hanbin and Yunhyeong carried Donghyuk. Once in bed, Jinhwan smiles. Things were going great. He just hopes they keep going like this, because they truthfully can’t afford a fall out.


	5. Chapter 5

It took three days for Jinhwan to decide that he needed help. Bobby had been following Jinhwan’s suggestions pretty well, respecting Junhoe’s space and time and touching him only when the younger approached him. And it was working; Junhoe obviously missed the older’s closeness and touches and often seeked it out. But it wasn’t enough. He needed to do more; otherwise, those two would only be close when they were all in a geriatric home.  
The thing was, and Jinhwan had noticed it before, that knowing about Junhoe’s crush and suspecting that Bobby liked the boy back made him read too much into things. He couldn't really measure how much they were evolving, because every time Bobby ruffled Junhoe’s hair Jinhwan was torn between thinking that it had always been like this and wanting to prepare their clothes for the wedding. So, he decided, he needed help. And who would be better for the task than their very leader?  
Now, Hanbin wasn’t exactly an expert when it came to love and relationship, but he was Bobby’s best friend and actually very perceptive. So, on the fourth day, Jinhwan went looking for him.  
Earlier, the eldest had convinced Bobby and Junhoe to go eat with him at the convenience store near the dorm. He’d done that before, twice, and he was getting pretty good at pretending he wasn’t there and getting the two used to hanging out on their own. He hoped one day they’d be able to actually go out alone, just the two of them, without it being supremely awkward.  
They’d eaten and talked, although Bobby was the one doing most of the talking, until silence fell upon them. That in itself wasn’t weird. What was weird was the fact that Bobby had paused mid-sentence, and it wasn’t common for the boy to stop talking, let alone so suddenly. So Jinhwan turned around, only to see Bobby staring at Junhoe. The older followed Bobby’s gaze and chuckled silently. He was about to tell Junhoe that he had ramyun sauce on his chin when Bobby reached forward, cupping Junhoe’s cheek and cleaning the boy’s chin with his thumb.   
Jinhwan’s eyes widened slightly and he watched amused as Junhoe’s face turned completely red. He bit on his lip to keep himself from laughing.   
"W-what..."  
Junhoe’s stuttering seemed to bring Bobby back from some sort of trance and the older backed away, laughing awkwardly.  
"Oh, I, uhn, there was a bit of ramyun sauce. On… on your chin."  
He explained, seeming flustered. Junhoe said a little 'oh' and nodded going back to his food, probably to try and to hide his blush. At that moment Jinhwan decided that he definitely needed someone impartial to help him.  
They ate the rest of their meal in silence, and Jinhwan had to keep himself from pointing out the obvious tension between the other two. He didn’t want to ruin anything, not when things were getting interesting.

As soon as they got home, Jinhwan went looking for Hanbin. He found the younger on his room, writing. He hesitated for a second, but decided that Hanbin could use a break.  
"Hey, Bin. Do you have a second?"  
Hanbin looked up from his notebook with a frown on his face. As he saw Jinhwan, though, he smiled patting the bed by his side. Jinhwan sat down, smiling too.  
"Hey. Need anything, hyung?"  
Asked the younger. Jinhwan hummed, lying on Hanbin’s shoulder.  
"Bobby was a bit weird today. Wanted to have your opinion."  
He said. He’d decided he should avoid telling Hanbin about his suspicions, as he wanted an impartial opinion. The leader frowned.  
"Weird how?"  
He asked, putting his notebook down and deciding to play with Jinhwan’s hair. Jinhwan leaned into the touch.  
"Well... today I went eating with him and Junhoe, and Junhoe got a bit of ramyun sauce on his chin. And instead of just telling him, Bobby cleaned it off with his thumb. I don’t know, I thought it was weird. He seemed a bit embarrassed afterwards."  
At that Hanbin shrugged, jostling Jinhwan a little.  
"I don’t know... it’s a bit weird, I guess. Seems like something he’d do with a date, but you know Bobby is affectionate with everyone, so there’s that. Then again, it was Junhoe, so I don’t know."  
Jinhwan hummed again, but there was a smile on his lips. Something he’d do with a date. So he wasn't just seeing things, there was something going on.  
"Yeah. Well, I don’t know. Just found it a bit weird."  
Hanbin nodded.  
"A bit."  
He agreed. Jinhwan then controlled his smile, getting up from the younger’s shoulder.  
"Thanks, bin. I’ll let you work now."  
Said the boy, kissing Hanbin’s cheek.  
"Hyung! Don’t be disgusting!"  
Said the rapper, wiping his cheek, but he was smiling as he shoved Jinhwan away.

After that Hanbin became Jinhwan’s 'Bobby encyclopaedia'. Jinhwan took Junhoe and Bobby out on dates – yes, he knows it’s weird and no, the other two didn’t know those were dates – and then narrated it to Hanbin, for the leader to help him analyse Bobby’s behaviour. And Jinhwan knew it was weird, how he was suddenly so interested in Bobby, so he didn’t find it all that weird when Hanbin finally asked him what was going on.  
Jinhwan bit his lip. Well, he knew the time would come when he’d have to explain it to Hanbin.  
"Well... have you ever noticed how Junhoe acts around Bobby?"  
Began the shorter. Hanbin tilted his head adorably.  
"Uhn, awkward?"  
Jinhwan smiled and nodded. Hanbin raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. Jinhwan rolled his eyes.  
"Ever wondered why they’re so awkward?"  
Hanbin shrugged, but he seemed to be thinking about it.  
"I don’t know, never really thought about it."  
Jinhwan hummed.  
"Hum. I think he has a crush on bobby."  
He said. For a second the Hanbin seemed shocked. And then he laughed.   
He laughed until he noticed Jinhwan wasn’t laughing, and then his laughter slowly died down and he raised an eyebrow. Jinhwan looked at him pointedly.  
"Oh, c’mon. You can't be serious, hyung."  
Whined Hanbin, incredulous. Jinhwan shrugged.  
"Just think about it. It makes sense."  
Hanbin shook his head.  
"No, it doesn't. Hyung, Junhoe can't stand Bobby."  
Jinhwan had opened his mouth to say that that was exactly the point when they heard someone entering the dorm, laughing. Jinhwan immediately recognized Bobby’s and Junhoe’s laugh, so he motioned for Hanbin to be silent and follow him. The leader rolled his eyes but got up and the pair tiptoed to the living room. They stopped at the living room entrance and Jinhwan gestured once again for Hanbin to be silent.  
From the corridor, they watched as Junhoe and Bobby closed the door and tried to take off their shoes, laughing and shoving each other.  
"Hyung~ stop it!"  
Laughed Junhoe. Bobby smiled, showing his bunny teeth and Jinhwan saw Junhoe blush lightly.  
"Why? I thought you weren’t ticklish."  
Said the older, poking Junhoe’s ribs and making the younger squeal and laugh.   
"Stop it!"  
Said the younger, but it was clear he was having fun. Bobby laughed, but stopped and finally managed to take off his shoes. He then saw Junhoe struggling to take off his and when the younger lost balance Bobby put his arm around the boy’s waist, almost as s reflex. Immediately they stopped laughing. Jinhwan could feel the tension from where he was. He turned to Hanbin, one eyebrow raised, but the younger was focused on the two boys at the door.  
"W-what...?"  
Started Junhoe, clearly flustered.  
"I’m just... you looked like you needed help."  
Stuttered bobby.  
"Oh"  
Mumbled junhoe. They looked at each other for a second, before Junhoe looked away, finally managing to take off his shoes.  
As soon as they were off the two boys separated, as if they’d been burned.  
Junhoe opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it.  
"So, uhn, I’ll... I’ll go now. To, to my room."  
Said Bobby. Junhoe nodded, not looking at the older.  
Jinhwan’s eyes widened as Bobby headed towards the corridor where him and Hanbin were. He quickly grabbed Hanbin’s hand and pulled the younger back to their room, throwing Hanbin on the bed and lying next to him just in time for Bobby to enter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, sorry! Just didn't want to go too long without posting again.  
> Fun fact: If you've read my other Junbob fanfic "I'll be there" and think it is similar to this one, you're right! This was supposed to be "I'll be there, but I didn't like it so I started again. But then I decided this one wasn't so bad and decided to go back to writing it. What do you guys think? Should I keep writing this one?

As Bobby entered the room Jinhwan looked up, ignoring Hanbin’s silent whining by his side.  
"Oh, hey, bobby!"  
Said Jinhwan, kicking Hanbin when the younger snickered and whispered a mocking 'subtle'.  
"Oh, Jinhwan hyung, Bin. Didn’t see you there."  
Said the older rapper, seeming dazed. He was still a bit red on the ears. Jinhwan found it adorable.  
"Hum. Where were you? Heard you come in right now."  
Asked Jinhwan, subtly covering Hanbin’s mouth with his arm. Bobby rubbed the back of his neck, seeming embarrassed.  
"Ah, uhn, I... I went to get some coffee. With junhoe."  
The boy mumbled the last part and Jinhwan did his best to look surprised.  
"Junhoe? Really? Just the two of you? Seems like our plan is working!"  
At that bobby blushed.  
"Hyung!"  
Jinhwan smiled apologetically as Bobby gestured towards Hanbin, whose mouth was still being covered by Jinhwan’s arm.  
"Oh. Sorry. Well, it’s not like Bin can't know." He then turned to Hanbin, wondering hadn’t already debuted him as an actor. "We thought it’d be good for Bobby and Junhoe to get closer, and I decided I’d help Bobby with that. Seems like it’s working."  
Bobby’s blush deepened and Jinhwan supressed a smile. Theory almost confirmed. Of course, he’d only know for sure if Bobby actually told him, but he doubted Bobby would blush like that if he didn’t feel something for Junhoe.  
"Yeah, we... yeah. Ok. We're still pretty awkward, though."  
Jinhwan laughed.  
"Baby steps, Bobby, baby steps."  
Bobby chuckled. And then Hanbin bit Jinhwan’s arm, making the older squeak and cutting their conversation short. Jinhwan glared at the leader and Hanbin smirked. The older was about to say something when Bobby cleared his throat.  
"Well, I think I’ll, uhn, leave you two to it."  
Said the boy, looking weirdly from Jinhwan to Hanbin before leaving the room. Jinhwan rolled his eyes and turned to the boy by his side..  
"So...?"  
He asked, drawing out the vowel. Hanbin sighed.  
"Ok. Maybe you're right. But why didn’t you tell me Bobby liked Junhoe back?"  
Questioned the boy. So it definitely wasn’t something from Jinhwan’s mind.  
"Just found out. And I don’t think he’s noticed, either. I mean, Junhoe is aware of his crush, that much is obvious. Bobby, on the other hand, is probably wondering why the hell he’s feeling so happy with Junhoe’s attention."  
Hanbin nodded.  
“And what do you plan on doing? You said you were helping them get closer, but… how?”  
Jinhwan shrugged.  
“It’s pretty easy, actually. Junhoe doesn’t like being close to Bobby cause he’s scared that someone will notice his feelings. And you know how Bobby is, he’s always touching everyone and has no concept of personal. It must be hard for Junhoe. So he avoids Bobby as much as he can. So I told Bobby to give Junhoe space and to wait for Junhoe to go to him. Seems like it worked, at least a bit.”  
Hanbin hummed.  
“And how did it get to them going out together, just the two of them?”  
He asked. At that Jinhwan shrugged.  
“I don’t know, actually. I’ve been taking them out, the three of us, so that they can get used to hanging out together. Today was the first day they went out without me, I think.”  
Hanbin nodded, then laughed.  
“It’s pretty cute, actually. They’d be a cute couple.”  
Jinhwan nodded, smiling. He thought so too. Junhoe needed positive like Bobby in his life, and Bobby needed someone to ground him. Those two fit well, despite their apparent differences. They’d be a good couple.  
“So. Gonna help me?”  
Hanbin chuckled.  
“Sure, hyung. Just tell me what to do.”  
Jinhwan smiled.  
“We’ll get them together in no time.”

After their little outing together, Jinhwan noticed, Bobby’s and Junhoe’s relationship changed a bit. It wasn’t much, but it was noticeable. They seemed closer, Junhoe didn’t seem to run away or avoid Bobby as much anymore. In fact, they were always near each other. But, despite that closeness, the tension that had always been there was more noticeable than ever. It was like they were dancing around each other.  
It was common, for example, for the two to watch TV together, right next to each other, something that would have never happened a few days earlier. But they never quite touched or acknowledged their proximity. It was like they were pretending that they’d just ended up there accidentally, like they didn’t know that the other was sitting right besides them. It was a bit unnerving and a bit comical.  
“They’re so weird, hyung.” Complained Hanbin one night, as he laid on Jinhwan’s thigh. “They just… stay near each other and pretend it’s all an accident. Why don’t they just admit they like spending time together?”  
Jinhwan had laughed.  
“Leave them be, Bin. They have their time. Bobby is figuring things out still, and Junhoe is probably having a hard time controlling his feelings. They’ll come around.”  
Hanbin had sighed but nodded. Jinhwan, however, decided it was time for another talk with Bobby. He might not show it as much as Hanbin, but that close distance between Bobby and Junhoe was making him antsy too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I take requests for fanfictions at the link https://booksfanficsandstuff.tumblr.com or in the comments section, the groups I write for are in my profile ^.^

Unfortunately, before Jinhwan could even think of what to say to Bobby, something shifted in the rapper’s relationship with Junhoe. And not in the way Jinhwan expected.

Junhoe wanted to cry. He couldn't believe how badly he'd just fucked up. He didn't know it was so easy to fuck something up in such a short amount of time. No, scratch that, he knew. He knew and that was the reason he'd refused Bobby's proximity at first. But of course he couldn't keep to his plan. He just had to miss Bobby constantly bothering him and go looking for the older.  
He sighed, rubbing his face. He had noticed when Bobby stopped touching him constantly. Of course he had, Bobby's touchy nature had always been a problem to him. And at first he'd been relieved with the distance, it made his life much easier. But that feeling had lasted only half a day, before he started missing the boy's closeness and how warm it made him feel. And then he'd gone looking for it, and that was his first mistake.  
He also noticed the shift on their relationship. He could see Bobby was trying a new approach to get closer to Junhoe. Unfortunately, it was working. He’d always hated the way Bobby would drape himself on him or kiss his cheek randomly, but not because he hated touch; it was because it made hard for him to hide his feelings.  
But he liked having the boy touching him, and if he could touch the older on his own accord, he had time to prepare himself and didn’t have to worry about his body playing pranks on him. So when Bobby stopped accosting him with hugs, kisses and such, he'd immediately started to feel more confortable and started to get closer to the rapper, at his own pace. And that was the reason why right now he was locked in Jinhwan's room, trying not to panic or cry.

The day had started of normally enough. They'd woken up too early and eaten together before going to practice. They'd practiced only half a day, thankfully, before Hanbin had to go meet with their manager to discuss their schedule. Jinhwan had stayed behind to wait for him and Yunhyeong had offered to help Chanwoo with their new song. This had left Bobby, Donghyuk and Junhoe to go back to the dorm alone.  
When Donghyuk had told them, half way to the dorm, that he'd go get coffee before going back, Junhoe had almost begged him not to. Instead, he'd smiled and nodded before continuing with Bobby.  
They were silent for a while. They'd been spending a lot of time together, but usually they just didn't acknowledge each other or the fact that they were together. But right now it was awkward, Junhoe could feel the tension between them and it was making him nervous. Apparently, Bobby seemed to think so too, because after three minutes he opened and closed his mouth about three times before sighing.  
There was another moment of silence, before Bobby opened his mouth again, just to close it. Again.  
"Hyung, are you training your fish impersonation?"  
Junhoe couldn't tell who was more surprised, Bobby or him. He hadn't meant to say that. He hadn't meant to say anything at all. He was about to apologize when Bobby burst out laughing. Junhoe felt laughter bubble up on his throat too, more out of nervousness than anything else, but soon the two of them were laughing like idiots, stumbling along the street to their dorm. It was like they’d never been awkward in the first place.

"You're an arsehole, Junhoe."  
Said Bobby, laughing, as they took off their shoes. After Junhoe's little jab at Bobby they'd managed to keep some kind of conversation going, at least after they stopped laughing. Junhoe had been surprised at how easy it was to talk to Bobby.  
Junhoe laughed too, shoving his shoes to the side. He'd just closed the door when he felt fingers wiggling on his ribs and squealed, jumping away. He tried to glare at Bobby, but his smile probably ruined the effect he was going for.  
"Stop it!"  
He said. Bobby chuckled.  
"I had forgotten you were ticklish."  
Junhoe's eyes widened at the statement, and he started to back away, but Bobby was faster. Before they knew it they were on the floor, laughing as Bobby tickled Junhoe and the younger laughed and tried to shove the rapper away.  
It was nice, Junhoe liked being this close to Bobby, and would have been fine, completely fine, if Bobby hadn't pinned Junhoe to the ground. Junhoe's eyes widened and he stopped laughing. Bobby had stopped laughing too and was practically sitting on Junhoe’s crotch, and he was pinning Junhoe's hands to the floor, leaving only a few inches between their faces. They were panting and Junhoe knew his face was completely red.  
He knew he should move. If Bobby moved even a bit downwards he'd notice Junhoe's condition. And Junhoe would rather die. But Bobby was staring down at him, and he looked so pretty and Junhoe felt like he couldn't move.  
"Junhoe..."  
It was practically a sigh, but they were so close that Junhoe listened perfectly well. And then Bobby moved to adjust himself and brushed against Junhoe's half hard dick and Junhoe moaned. Immediately Bobby's and Junhoe's eyes widened and Junhoe’s face reddened even more. For a second no one moved or made a sound. And then Junhoe shoved Bobby away and ran. He entered the first room with a lock, which happened to be Jinhwan's room, and locked himself inside. Which led him to where he was at the moment. Curled up on Jinhwan’s bed, trying to stop the tears from falling.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I take requests for fanfictions at the link https://booksfanficsandstuff.tumblr.com or in the comments section, the groups I write for are in my profile ^.^

Junhoe had half expected Bobby to try to talk to him, but when someone knocked on the door, it was Donghyuk’s voice that reached him. Junhoe just buried his face on Jinhwan’s pillow and pretended to be dead. Maybe if he pretended for long enough it would become true.  
“Junhoe, c’mon, open the door.”  
Insisted the slightly older boy. Junhoe ignored it and a few second later he heard Donghyuk leaving. He sighed. He couldn't believe what had happened. He'd worked so hard to hide this, and now... now there was no way Bobby didn't know. What other explanation was there, other than that Junhoe was head over heels for that stupid bunny like rapper? He couldn’t even begin to come up with an explanation. What would he say? ‘Oh, that? No, hyung, it wasn’t you, I was turned on because we were under the light bulb and light bulbs turn me on a lot.’ Somehow that didn’t seem like a very good excuse.  
He'd fucked up. Bobby was probably creeped out, and he'd tell the others and they would laugh at him and he'd have to quit the band. He would never be able to face them ever again.

Junhoe had already cried and stopped crying twice when someone knocked again. Once again he ignored it. He knew he’d have to come out one day, but for now he’d rather not look at anyone. However, it seemed like it wasn’t his lucky day.  
“Koo Junhoe, you better open this door right this instant, or else I’ll knock it down. It’s my room, damnit!”  
Junhoe’s eyes widened and he jumped up. A pissed off Hanbin was a nightmare, but he definitely didn’t want to deal with a pissed off Jinhwan either. He opened the door without looking up, eyes trained on the ground, and allowed Jinhwan to enter the room.  
“Sorry, hyung. Didn’t think you’d be here already. I-I’ll get going.”  
He was about to leave, still refusing to look at Jinhwan, when the older grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Junhoe couldn’t help but to look at the boy. Jinhwan was frowning.  
“Were you crying?”  
He asked. Junhoe shrugged. His eyes were red and swollen. What could he say?  
“It’s nothing.”  
He said. Jinhwan ruffed, then pulled him inside and locked the door again.  
“You can stay here.”  
He said, lightly shoving Junhoe towards the bed. For a second Junhoe didn’t react, confused, then he smiled at Jinhwan and sat back down on the bed.  
Jinhwan walked around the room, changing and putting his things away while Junhoe watched him. After about five minutes, once he was changed into comfortable clothes, he sat down next to Junhoe.  
“So. When you left the company everything was fine. Then when I get home Bobby is lying on his bed refusing to talk to anyone, you’re locked in my room crying and Donghyuk is on the living room, looking absolutely confused. What the hell happened?”  
Junhoe sighed, a bit in relief, a bit because he was tired and didn’t want to deal with this now. Or ever.  
“Nothing happened, hyung.”  
He said, knowing that Jinhwan wouldn’t believe him. As expected, the older snorted.  
“Yeah, ok, like I believe that.”  
Junhoe sighed again and rubbed his temple.  
“Look, hyung, I fucked up and now Bobby hyung won’t ever want to be near me again. That’s all you need to know, ok?”  
Jinhwan frowned.  
“Is this about your crush on him?”  
He asked. Junhoe groaned and let himself fall down on the bed.  
“So you do know about that.”  
Jinhwan chuckled.  
“You’re not very subtle, Junhoe. But I still don’t know what could have happened. You may not notice, Junhoe, but Bobby likes spending time with you. Like, a lot. I don’t think there’s something you could do that would push him away.”  
Now it was Junhoe’s turn to snort.  
“You wouldn’t say that if you knew what happened.”  
“Then why don’t you tell me.”  
Insisted the older.  
“Because it’s embarrassing!”  
Said Junhoe, exasperated. He really didn’t want to think about this.  
“Did you confess? It can’t be that, if you had confessed the two of you would be kissing right now.”  
Junhoe laughed bitterly.  
“As if. And no, I didn’t confess.”  
“Then did you tell him you hate him? That would get him pissed.”  
“What? No, I didn’t…”  
“Then you punched him. Is that it? Oh, or you punched his mom. I mean, I don’t know where you could have met her, but if…”  
“No! Hyung, for fucks sake, I didn’t…”  
“Did he try to molest you? Or did…”  
“We were playing around and he sat on top of me and I got hard, ok?”  
Hissed Junhoe. Jinhwan’s eyes widened and a second later so did Junhoe’s. He hadn’t meant to say that. He glared at Jinhwan. It was the older’s strategy, to bother people until they said what he wanted to say. And Junhoe knew that and he’d still fallen for it.  
“Oh.”  
Said the older, seeming a bit shocked.  
“Yeah, oh.”  
Said Junhoe. He knew his cheeks were red.  
“Ok. That’s, uhn, ok.”  
“Wow, thanks fro your words, hyung.”  
Jinhwan smiled sheepishly.  
“Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting that.” They were silent for a moment. Jinhwan letting the new information sink in and Junhoe just trying not to start crying again. “Ok, so… have you talked to him about it.”  
Junhoe’s eyebrows went so high they almost disappeared into his hair.  
“Talk… to him. Are you crazy, hyung?”  
Jinhwan shrugged.  
“It’s the best way to know how he feels and to work this out.”  
Junhoe snorted and shook his head.  
“And what exactly do you want me to say, hyung? ‘Hey Bobby, hyung, sorry for getting a hard on while we were playing. It’s just that I’ve had a crush on you since the day I joined and you pinning me to the ground didn’t really help much.’ How about that?”  
Jinhwan rolled his eyes.  
“I’m sure you can do better than that. Not that it wouldn’t work. You could say that and he’d probably just kiss you and drag you somewhere to fuck.”  
Junhoe blushed at his hyung’s crude words.  
“Hyung, he didn’t even try to talk to me since it happened, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to be anywhere near me.”  
At that Jinhwan frowned.  
“He… didn’t try to talk to you? Are you sure?”  
“I’ve been here the whole afternoon, hyung, I’m pretty sure only Donghyuk and you tried to talk to me.”  
Jinhwan seemed to be deep in thought.  
“That’s weird… well, if you don’t want to talk to him then there’s nothing when can do right now. You can sleep here tonight, if you want.” Said the older. He could see how uneasy Junhoe was with the whole situation, and he didn’t want to make the boy more stressed. “I’ll bring food and we can have dinner here, ok?”  
Junhoe smiled gratefully.  
“Ok, Thanks, hyung. Sorry I fucked up.”  
He said. Jinhwan pulled the boy into a hug.  
“Don’t say that, you didn’t fuck anything up. Things will work out, you’ll see. Tomorrow everything will be back to normal.”

Turns out, Jinhwan was wrong. Things were definitely not back to normal. Bobby and Junhoe were avoiding each other like the plague, and Jinhwan wanted to cry. It had taken so much work to get them more comfortable with each other, and it was going so well, and now here they were.  
He couldn’t understand it. He was sure Bobby liked Junhoe back, why did he seem so weirded out by what had happened? It wasn’t just embarrassment, he knew it. Bobby had never been one to be embarrassed about this kind of thing. And the rapper wasn’t just giving Junhoe space and time, this was obvious by the way he avoided even looking at Junhoe and ran away as soon as Jinhwan tried to talk to him about the younger boy. So he really didn’t know what had happened.  
Had he gotten it wrong? Had he read too much into it? Maybe Bobby didn’t actually like Junhoe and was weirded out about what had happened. But even that was weird. Jinhwan remembered the time when Hanbin had had a crush on Bobby and had confessed. Bobby had been so sweet when telling Hanbin that he didn’t feel the same, and had given the younger space without avoiding him.  
Jinhwan sighed deeply. There didn’t seem to be an explanation, and Bobby didn’t seem very inclined to help him understand. He just hoped they could solve this quickly enough.


	9. Chapter 9

“Hyung, what happened?”

Hanbin and Jinhwan were sitting side by side at the practice room, and Jinhwan followed Hanbin’s eyes, trying to understand the question. He sighed tiredly when he noticed Bobby excitedly talking to Yunhyeong while Junhoe stared at them, failing at hiding his hurt expression, the dark circles around his eyes showing how little he’d been sleeping.

“I don’t think I should tell you, but you can ask Junhoe.”

Hanbin frowned, turning to Jinhwan.

“Was it that bad?”

He asked, hand moving to play with Jinhwan’s fingers. The older rolled his eyes; Hanbin had never been able to keep his hands quiet when he was nervous. He ignored the warm feeling on his chest at the gesture.

“I don’t know. It shouldn’t be, but apparently Bobby is more sensitive than we thought.”

Hanbin’s frown deepened.

“Did Junhoe confess? It can’t be that, even if we were wrong and Bobby doesn’t like him, he’d never shut Junhoe out because of that.”

Jinhwan chuckled. Apparently, Hanbin thought the exact same thing as him.

“He didn’t confess. It was something more… physical.” Hanbin raised an eyebrow and Jinhwan snorted. “I swear, sometimes you’re like a twelve year old boy.”

Hanbin chuckled.

“Ok, physical. I still don’t see what could have gone wrong, hyung. It doesn’t matter whether or not Bobby likes Junhoe, he’d never shut anyone out for liking him, even if he didn’t like them back. And you know that he’s always had a soft spot for Junhoe, even if he doesn’t admit it. Junhoe could even kiss him, and I think Bobby still would let him down easily, like he did with me. So I don’t get it.”

Jinhwan nodded. He’d been thinking the same thing, since three days earlier, when Junhoe told him what had happened. It just didn’t make sense, even to him, who knew everything from the situation.

He had been waiting to see if things would solve themselves out, like they sometimes did, but he was beginning to notice that with Bobby and Junhoe nothing was simple or normal. Bobby was doing an excellent job of pretending that he didn’t notice the huge tension between him and their ex-maknae, acting as if everything was perfectly normal. And Junhoe had been a wreck lately; he’d stopped singing all the time and the circles under his eyes became darker by the day. They needed to do something.

 

It turned out, though, that him and Hanbin didn’t need to do anything.

Jinhwan knew he shouldn't be happy. Junhoe was in pain and now they’d have one less member for 15 days. But… well, Jinhwan saw it as a blessing in disguise. Junhoe was injured and would need to rest for a long time before he could practice again, which sucked, really. But it had forced Bobby to acknowledge the younger, and Jinhwan had the feeling that this was exactly what they needed to make things right again.

They’d been practicing since early in the morning and it was already late. They were all tired, wanting nothing more than to go home. During the last break, quite some time ago, Jinhwan had noticed Yunhyeong making faces at the mirror and Donghyuk talking to his water bottle, which was a pretty good sign that they’d already practiced too much. But when he suggested that they should go home, Hanbin had insisted that they could go through the choreography a few more times, and Jinhwan wasn't that good at denying the younger boy.

But now he could see the others starting to stumble, and was Bobby dancing with his eyes closed? So Jinhwan decided that this would be last time for the day, whether Hanbin liked it or not. Unfortunately, he’d already waited too much.

Jinhwan didn’t even see what happened, all he knew was that one second they were jumping and on the next Bobby was rushing to Junhoe, who was on the ground. Hanbin immediately stopped the song and they all rushed to the ex-maknae, trying to understand what had happened.

Junhoe was whining softly, lying against Bobby’s chest with tears on his eyes, holding his ankle. As Jinhwan kneeled next to the boy he heard Bobby whispering softly.

"Hey, its ok, breathe. Bin is calling manager, we'll get you to the hospital real soon, ok?"

All traces of sleepiness had disappeared from the rapper’s face, replaced by worry, and a soft smiled formed on Jinhwan’s lips, despite the situation.

"D-don’t want to, hyung."

Mumbled Junhoe, obviously trying not to cry. Jinhwan could practically see Bobby’s heart breaking at the sight.

"I know you don’t, but you need to. Don’t worry, I’ll go with you. I won’t leave you alone."

Junhoe sniffed and let himself fall more against Bobby. Both boys seemed to have forgotten the last few days, the awkwardness between them and the incident Junhoe had related to Jinhwan. The oldest smiled, he was still confused about what had happened, but he had a feeling things would get a lot better soon.

"Manager is coming with the car. He’ll take Junhoe to the hospital and we'll go home." Said Hanbin, a few moments later. Everyone nodded. "We need to wait at the entrance. Think you can walk, Junhoe?"

The boy nodded. Bobby was about to protest, mouth already open, but Junhoe was already trying to get up and the rapper concentrated on helping the younger.

Junhoe managed about half a step before falling back. Thankfully, Bobby’s hand hadn’t left the boy’s waist and the older held Junhoe before the boy fell to the ground again.

"Ok, yeah, no, I'm not letting you walk."

Junhoe’s eyes widened.

"Hyung, wait, no..."

Junhoe was interrupted by his own squeal as Bobby lifted him up bridal style. The younger buried his face on the rappers chest, but Jinhwan could see the redness on his cheeks. He smirked. It seemed like even the pain wasn’t enough to erase Junhoe’s natural shyness.

 

They waited for a while until their manager arrived. He exited the car, approaching them.

“C’mon, there’s no time to lose. Junhoe’s foot is already swelling up. I’ll take him and you guys go back to your dorms. Hanbin, text me when you arrive.”

They all nodded and started moving to help Junhoe into the car, but Bobby held the boy firmly.

“I want to go with you, manager hyung. Please.”

He pleaded. The manager raised an eyebrow and the others quietened, paying attention to the scene.

“It’s late. I’m sure everything is fine, you can go home.”

Said the man. Bobby frowned and Jinhwan noticed him tightening his hold on Junhoe.

“I’m not that tired.” He lied. “I’ll go with you.”

Their manager was about to deny, but as he looked at the way Junhoe was clinging to Bobby he sighed.

“Just help him get into the car and let’s go. The rest of you, home. Now.”

Jinhwan couldn’t help but to smile at the relief clear in Bobby’s eyes. Maybe they hadn’t been wrong, and Bobby did like Junhoe. Maybe this really was a blessing in disguise.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too sure about this chapter? What do you guys think?

The ride to the hospital was awkward. Junhoe’s ankle was hurting enough to bring tears to his eyes, but all Junhoe could think about was the boy by his side. He’d been in too much pain to care about who it was by his side when he first hurt his ankle, but once he noticed it was Bobby he’d been absolutely confused. Why was the rapper being nice? Wasn’t he ignoring Junhoe? What had happened to change his mind?

He’d gotten to the conclusion that it was simply a reflex. One of the members was hurt. He had to help. But then Bobby had carried him to the door and had insisted on accompanying him to the hospital, and Junhoe was just confused. His heart was beating fast, because Bobby was right there, by his side, after days of avoiding him, and his mind was blurry from the pain and he couldn’t think straight, and…

“How are you feeling?”

Junhoe jumped, startled. Bobby was looking at him, eyes shining with worry and… something else?

“It hurts, hyung.” Said the younger. He bit his lip. Thinking about his ankle made it hurt more. “Say something else.”

He asked. The rapper rubbed the back of his head.

“Uhn… Well, I’ve been working on this song, I don’t think it’ll ever be in an album, but…”

And Bobby went on, talking about the beat and the lyrics, and Junhoe focused on his voice, and the situation seemed almost normal. Junhoe closed his eyes, pretending, at least for a while, that everything was ok.

 

“It’s not a serious injury.” Said the doctor. Junhoe was looking at his recently immobilized ankle. “Just a little sprain on the ankle. Bring him back in a week and we’ll check it. He’ll probably be good to go in twenty days, maximum.”

The manager thanked the doctor and Junhoe did as well, as soon they were heading out, Junhoe with crutches and Bobby and the manager after him.

They entered the car in silence. Junhoe had been given a painkiller and the pain had, thankfully, subsided. This, however, left a lot of space for Junhoe to worry about other things. ‘Other things’ being, specifically, Bobby. The rapper was by his side, looking at the seat in front of him. Junhoe noticed that now that they knew everything was ok with him, Bobby’s worry had also subsided and, that left, between them, only the tension that had been there since the incident. Junhoe sighed. He should have been more careful. All of this was his fault.

 

Their manager dropped them off and handed Bobby the medicine Junhoe had to take. Leaving with an advice to ‘be careful’. The two boys watched the car take a turn and disappear, and then there was only silence. They looked at each other, but after only a second Junhoe turned away, blushing. He heard Bobby sigh.

“Maybe we should go in?”

“I’m sorry.”

Junhoe’s eyes widened and he looked up. Bobby’s eyes were cast down. They’d spoken at the same time, and Junhoe wondered if he’d heard it wrong.

“W-what did you say, hyung?”

Bobby rubbed the back of his neck and finally looked up. Junhoe raised an eyebrow at the dust of red on the boy’s cheeks.

“I said I’m sorry.”

It was winding. And cold. Junhoe’s arms were hurting from the crutches and he could feel his hands and feet starting to freeze. He knew they should go in. but he didn’t move.

“You’re… shouldn’t I be the one saying this, hyung?”

Asked the younger. As much as he thought Bobby shouldn’t have avoided him, thins whole mess was his fault, not the rapper’s. But the older shook his head.

“You did nothing wrong, I just… I panicked and ran away. That was very immature. And I hurt you. I’m sorry.”

Junhoe didn’t know what to say. So he said nothing. Bobby sighed and continued.

“I want you to know why I didn’t try to talk to you.” He said. Junhoe nodded, numb because of the cold and because of Bobby’s words. “The truth is, I didn’t know what else to do. I’d been feeling weird around you for a while, but I didn’t really stop to think about it. Mostly because I was scared of finding out exactly what I was feeling. So when we… when that happened, it forced me to face things. To face my feelings and all that shit and I was scared. So I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have avoided you, and I know there’s no excuse. But I wanted you to know why I did it.”

Junhoe couldn’t speak. He could barely feel his body, his head was spinning and the world seemed to be miles away. He saw Bobby looking down, biting hard on his bottom lip and breathed in deeply.

“I forgive you, hyung.” He managed to say. Bobby looked up, eyes wide. “I… well, I was wrong, too. I should have told how I felt before things got weird.”

He wasn’t as good as Bobby with words and he knew that, but he hoped the older would understand him. A small smile appeared on Bobby’s face.

“Maybe you could do that now.”

Said the older.

“I like you.”

Said Junhoe. He heard his own voice as if it was someone else speaking. He couldn’t believe what he’d just said. Bobby’s smile grew.

“I like you too.”

Said the rapper. It was winding and Junhoe’s arms were hurting from the crutches. He couldn’t feel his hands and feet anymore, they were already frozen, and he knew they should go in. But he could feel, perfectly well, Bobby’s cold lips against his, quickly warming up, and maybe, he thought, they didn’t have to go in yet.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, hope you guys enjoyed it! (If anyone wants it, this will most likely have a sequel!)

When they separated, Junhoe looked down, embarrassed, but he couldn’t keep the smile from spreading on his face. He heard Bobby chuckle.

“Your face is all red.”

He said. Junhoe huffed, knowing perfectly well how red he was. He could feel the heat on his cheeks, despite the biting wind.

“Shut up.”

He said. His smile didn’t waver. He felt Bobby’s hand on his chin, making him look up, and his eyes met the older’s. Bobby’s smile was as wide as his. The rapper leaned forward and pecked Junhoe on the lips, then again, and then one more time, until Junhoe whined.

“Hyung! That’s not fair, I can’t use my hands.”

He complained. Bobby chuckled.

“And why do you need to use your hands right now?” Teased the older. Junhoe rolled his eyes. Bobby chuckled again and pecked Junhoe on lips one last time. “C’mon, let’s go inside.”  
They entered the dorm and Bobby helped the younger up the stairs.

 

When they finally made it to their dorm, which took a while with Junhoe’s ankle, Hanbin and Jinhwan were waiting for them. Kind of. They were both on the couch and the TV was on, but Hanbin had fallen asleep, sitting on Jinhwan’s lap, and the older was running a hand through the rapper’s hair. Bobby laughed, nudging Junhoe. The younger laughed too.

“I can hear you two, you know?”

Jinhwan’s voice startled the two boys, who smiled apologetically as the oldest looked at them, not amused at all.

“Sorry, hyung.”

Said Bobby, smiling widely. Jinhwan shook his head, then his eyes travelled to Bobby’s arm, which was around Junhoe’s waist. The two boys standing at the door immediately blushed.

“I see you two worked things out?”

The other two looked at each other, then Bobby smiled and turned back to Jinhwan.

“We did.”

Jinhwan smiled, resisting the urge to coo at how cute Junhoe looked, smiling shyly by Bobby’s side.

“Took you long enough.” He said. “Go to sleep, you two. Junhoe needs to rest.”

He said, and turned back to the sleeping boy on his lap. As Bobby and Junhoe left the room, hand in hand, Bobby caught a glimpse of Jinhwan trying to wake Hanbin, and the younger snuggling even closer to the singer. He smiled. He’d been worried about hurting Hanbin too much when he rejected the younger, although he’d let the boy down as easily as possible. The fact that Hanbin had found someone made him happy.

When they got to their room, Junhoe stopped, uncertain. He looked at his bed, then at Bobby and then back to his bed. The rapper chuckled.

“You can sleep with me tonight, if you want.” Junhoe bit his lip, then smiled. Bobby couldn’t help but to press a kiss to the boy’s lips. Junhoe was too cute. “C’mon.”

Said the rapper, lying down. Junhoe lay down next to him, then turned to Bobby.

“I love you, hyung.”

He whispered. Bobby couldn’t remember the last time he’d smiled so widely.

“Love you too.”

He said. Then Junhoe moved forward and kissed Bobby, giving away control as soon as the older bit on his bottom lip. And as they kissed, Junhoe wondered if he’d have taken so long to confess, had he known that Bobby was the missing part of him.


End file.
